Shocking Entertainment Moments

13 Insane Entertainment Moments That Prove The 1990s Were Way More Twisted Than Today

We tend to have the opinion that we're always getting more and more liberal about our choices in entertainment; we look back at people scoffing at something 25 years ago and say "Ah, that would never happen now." The example of Straight Outta Compton and the hysteria it created is a great example.

But in that vein, we wanted to take another approach. That we might now be more prudish and more quick to outrage than before. To prove that point, we're taking a look at 13 shocking moments since the 1990s that you could get away with then, but could never do now.

One of my earliest memories involves sitting in a cool theater during the summer of 1994 and watching The Lion King. I’ll always remember uproariously laughing at Shenzi and Banzai, Scar’s gang of evil hyena sidekicks voiced by Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin. While I did not realize it at the tender age of seven, Whoopi and Cheech were strategically cast to give the hyenas an edge or, to be more frank, to make them sound “ghetto.”

While Disney has improved upon their perpetuation of stereotypes, it’s pretty hard to believe that this sort of thing could make it past writers and directors only 20 years ago. Almost as hard to believe that 1994 was twenty years ago...raise your hand if you feel old.

The 80s and 90s were a time when America’s film and TV writers were very much stuck in the ways of the past. It’s only now, through the power of Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and YouTube, that we can finally re-watch the shows and movies from our past and reflect upon some of the most ridiculous and shocking moments from entertainment history.

Seinfeld -- “The Jimmy” (1995)

In one of the more shocking episodes of Seinfeld to appear on TV, Jerry wakes up from a nitrous oxide-induced haze to find his dentist (played magnificently by Bryan Cranston) and his dental hygienist putting their clothes back on. Later on, at Monk’s, Jerry confesses to Elaine that he fears he may have been taken advantage of while under the nitrous. Obviously, this potential rape (because that’s what it was) is never determined to be true or false. Just another day in the life of Jerry Seinfeld. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just kidding, there’s a lot wrong with that.

Eddie Murphy's Delirious (1983)

Honestly, there’s very little about Eddie Murphy’s stand-up special that isn’t completely shocking to hear from the standpoint of an educated twenty-first century person. Throughout the special, Murphy frequently uses the word “faggot,” talks about beating his wife, and very openly criticizes the gay community, citing examples of how upset he would be if Mr. T and Ralph Cramden were gay, and sealing the deal by making light of AIDS. Murphy would be busted 14 years later after picking up a trans prostitute in an apparent attempt to be a good samaritan.

The Cosby Show -- “The Last Barbecue” (1990)

Carsey-Werner Company

Bill Cosby and shocking moments, can you even believe it?! We admit that this episode probably would have been forgotten had it not been for the recent allegations against Cosby, but there’s definitely something fishy about this plot. In “The Last Barbecue,” Dr. Huxtable procures a special BBQ sauce that makes people “get all huggy-buggy.” Then, to really drive it home, Dr. Huxtable tells his wife that he’s got a cup of his special sauce for her in their bedroom. Allegations aside, you really can’t be making jokes about sneaking drugs into people’s food in general. It’s just not cool.

Seinfeld -- “The Subway” (1992)

In the thirtieth episode of Seinfeld, we’re taken down below street level, where each character has a crazy day courtesy of the subway. Kramer gets involved with horse betting, Jerry befriends a nude passenger, George gets seduced and robbed, and Elaine goes to a lesbian wedding. The fact that this event — and the ensuing reactions — was enough to prompt its own storyline proves how shocking the idea of a gay marriage was back in the early 90s. Now, with gay marriage completely legal, everyone can finally drop the act of pretending like it’s going to ruin the world.

Sex and the City -- “Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl…” (2000)

Okay, obviously the year 2000 is pushin’ it for a list concerning the 80s and 90s, but as far as we’re concerned, 2000 was really just an extension of 1999 — like a nonstop nuclear winter. Anyway, in this Sex and the City episode in which Carrie dates a bisexual man, her forward-thinking and progressive personality is put into question when her biphobia and homophobia is revealed. In one of the most shocking and offensive lines, Carrie goes as far as to doubt whether bisexuality is real: “You know, I’m not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it’s just a layover on the way to Gaytown.”

The Simpsons -- Homer’s Phobia (1997)

As The AV Club accurately puts it, “Homer’s homophobia is presented in a complex, balanced way, alternating big laughs at Homer’s cluelessness with a surprisingly harsh depiction of Homer-as-bigot” After Homer meets John — a newcomer to Springfield — and finds out he’s gay, he grapples with his homophobia while simultaneously spending the episode making sure Bart doesn’t “turn gay.” While the episode itself is an attack on homophobia, the very notion of homophobia being more out of hand now than it was 10 years ago is shocking. For better or worse, we’ve begun to grow out of our ridiculous old habits and maybe we should all thank Homer Simpson for that.

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Has it been long enough where we can finally talk about the transphobia in The Wedding Singer? I’ll fully admit that I laughed at Alexis Arquette as playing the butt of the joke as George...it just took me years to figure out that the butt of the joke was her status as a trans person. Among the many scenes where she’s booed for repeatedly singing Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” it’s Steve Buscemi’s reaction of “ooh, I like her” that might be the most offensive — as if the very act of recognizing someone who clearly identifies as a female is a joke. This isn’t the first (or last) time Adam Sandler has been in movies that cater to the ignorant crowd: after a group of Native American actors walked off the set of The Ridiculous 6, people have started to see through Sandler’s work and find that it’s fueled by ignorance.

Ellen -- “The Puppy Episode” (1997)

“Yep, I’m gay.” In this two-part episode of the 90s comedy, Ellen, our main character — the aptly-named Ellen — comes out as gay, thus changing the way the world viewed Ellen Degeneres forever and ever. At the time, coming out on national television was a huge risk for actors, networks, and advertisers, which became apparent when J. C. Penney and Chrysler decided not to buy airtime during the controversial episode. Despite the enormous risk Ellen took, many say that her decision to come out via her character prompted LGBT-friendly shows like Will and Grace, The L Word, and Ugly Betty to come to fruition.

Seinfeld -- “The Puerto Rican Day” (1998)

If you’re saying to yourself “hm, I’ve never seen this episode,” don’t feel left out. Because of a sequence in which Kramer accidentally sets fire and then stomps on the Puerto Rican flag, NBC was forced to ban the episode from appearing on the network.

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

I know, I know, it’s generally considered heresy to speak out against a Nora Ephron movie, but there are elements of You’ve Got Mail that can be considered shocking and actually pretty messed up when paired against today’s landscape: I’m talking about the act of catfishing. After Tom Hanks’ character finally finds out that the woman he’s been speaking to online happens to be Meg Ryan, he commits a wrong and continues misleading about his identity. He takes the deceit far — some would say too far — when he begins to manipulate Meg Ryan, convincing her that his online alter-ego is not worth dating, thus driving her straight into his offline ego. It’s a very convoluted plan that ultimately ends up working out in his favor. But let us never forget the time that Tom Hanks catfished Meg Ryan.

Tiny Toons Adventures -- “One Beer” (1991)

An episode of a children’s cartoon in which the characters drink beer, drive a car, and die? Yes, this happened. The episode “One Beer” is a skit within an episode entitled “Elephant Issues” that was used to explore difficult topics involving illiteracy, prejudice, and underage drinking. Here is an actual description of the episode taken from the Tiny Toons wiki...this is legitimately not a joke: “Still drunk, Buster, Plucky and Hamton go to a donut shop and Plucky notices a police car with the keys still in the ignition. They decide to steal the car and go for a joyride. They take the police car to the top of of a mountain, where there is a DANGER ROAD OUT AHEAD sign. They crash through the sign, fall off the mountain and land in a graveyard, where they die and their souls go to heaven.” Obviously the episode was written to warn children of the dangers of drinking behind the wheel, but...What. The. Actual. F*ck.

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood -- “Conflict” (1983)

Every kid growing up had Mr. Rogers to thank for their moral compass. He taught us everything we needed to know about the world around us, never skirting on any issues — one of the most important being war. Originally released during the Cold War, when the threat of a nuclear holocaust was far greater than it was today, Mr. Rogers figured out how to break down barriers and talk to people about it by essentially staging a nuclear crisis within the Neighborhood. King Friday becomes convinced that Corny the Beaver is secretly building a nuclear arsenal, which spirals out of control as the rest of the neighborhood prepares for certain death. As it turns out, which I’m sure everyone remembers, nuclear war never happened.

The Lion King (1994)

Disney’s long history of racism didn’t start with The Lion King, but this 1994 epic (yes, it’s still an epic) deserves some criticism for the way it portrayed its villains. Take Scar, for example, manipulative, evil, conniving, British. Then there’s his gang of hyena goons: crafty, goofy, and merciless — both played by people of color. These guys have been doing this for a long time and they’ve only just started breaking the habit, which we want to believe isn’t too little too late.